NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 31 March 2014

Today: X2R12.1 Software Transition: Today the ground team completed the X2R12.1 software update that was started on Saturday. All activities were successfully performed and the system is back in nominal configuration.

Salivary Markers: Flight Engineer (FE)-3 Swanson set up the saliva and blood collection hardware over the weekend and collected his Flight Day 10 samples this morning. Swanson will continue to collect saliva samples throughout the week. These samples will be used to measure markers of latent viral reactivation (a global indicator of immune impairment and infection risk) in conjunction with salivary antimicrobial proteins and immune cell functional assays. This research study will help identify if there are any risks of an adverse health event in crewmembers due to an impaired immune system. Maintaining a robust immune system during prolonged spaceflight missions (i.e., to other planets or asteroids) will be important to ensure mission success. If any impairment in immunity is found due to spaceflight, this will allow the development of appropriate countermeasures to help mitigate the risks.

FLame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX-2) Operations: ISS CDR Wakata removed the Combustion Integration Rack (CIR) alignment guides which isolate the rack. This allows ground teams to start another FLEX-2 test point via ground commanding. FLEX-2 uses small droplets of fuel to study the special burning characteristics of fire in space. The FLEX-2 experiment studies the rate and manner in which fuel is burned, the conditions that are necessary for soot to form, and the way in which a mixture of fuels evaporate before burning. The results from these experiments will give scientists a better understanding how fires behave in space and will provide important information that will be useful in increasing the fuel efficiency of engines using liquid fuels.

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test (BCAT)-Low Gravity Phase Kinetics Platform (KP) Sample Installation: FE-5 Mastracchio verified the BCAT-KP set up in the JPM and then homogenized the BCAT-KP sample before setting up the camera to take automated images. BCAT-KP provides a platform for material and industrial scientists to investigate colloid phase changes, providing results that may be used to develop new colloidal materials and formulations with unique properties. The results may support new applications, from new liquid crystals to consumer goods having longer shelf life and uses.

Fundamental and Applied Studies of Emulsion Stability (FASES) Troubleshooting: On Monday, March 10th the ground attempted another FASES experiment run but was not able to control the temperature. Mastracchio conducted continuity tests on the Experiment Container (EC) pigtail connector as a part of the continued effort to troubleshoot the FASES hardware. Ground teams will review the data from the continuity test to develop a forward plan.

Emergency Mask Training and Emergency Hardware Familiarization: Today, the newly arrived crewmembers FE-1 Skvortsov, FE-2 Artemyev and FE-3 Swanson practiced donning the emergency mask. During this task, they also confirmed the ability of the crew to communicate with the ground from the Soyuz while wearing an emergency mask. The crew also completed a review of equipment locations and positions of valves used in emergencies. The familiarization was led by CDR Wakata with participation from the new crewmembers. While conducting the review, the crew translated along the emergency egress path to the Soyuz vehicles and confirmed there are no obstructions.

Today: X2R12.1 Software Transition: Today the ground team completed the X2R12.1 software update that was started on Saturday. All activities were successfully performed and the system is back in nominal configuration.